Bite
by ForThoseWhoLikeToMoveItMoveIt
Summary: A Mr. Peabody and Sherman one-shot. Mr. Peabody discovers the difference between man, machine, and dog, all in a moment's notice. It just happens to be the moment where he may have just ruined he and Sherman's lives forever.


**Author's Note: Just saw the movie and really couldn't resist! Not accurate dialogue since I just saw it once and not even five hours ago. Here goes nothing!**

**~Natty.**

* * *

_Bite._

"MR. PEABODY!" Sherman shouted for the dog as he was dragged forcefully to the door. That was their door. That was their home he was being taken from, the only one he's ever known and this woman he'd never even met before was trying to take him. She couldn't do that!

They hadn't done anything wrong, him or Mr. Peabody. Mr. Peabody was a great dad! Not unfit! He wanted to scream that at her but it didn't come out and he couldn't pull away from her iron grasp. He was sure there'd be a bruise there later, he was absolutely sure of it!

It didn't look like anything could be done. His own protests did no good and neither did Penny's. So he looked to his canine father. He wanted to say so many things to him; that he was sorry he ever used the WABAC without permission, that he got into that stupid fight with Penny in the first place, that he was sorry for being such a horrible son, but all he could say was… "Mr. Peabody, she's hurting me!"

Sherman felt tears in his eyes and he looked behind him. They were almost to the door. To think he entered that same doorway every day and thought nothing of it. Now it was imminent doom for him AND his dad. They'd never see each other again! He couldn't deal with that! He looked back ahead, at Penny's remorseful face and at her parents, then back inevitably at his dad who was reaching out to him in alarm yet nothing really was being done to save him.

Mrs. Grunion yanked him back even harder, sending pain shooting up Sherman's arm as the young boy made an exclamation at the abuse.

The boy fought against her best he could, only managing in stalling for seconds at a time from going completely out the door. Soon he'd be out of it. He couldn't do this on his own, he couldn't get away or fight her or try to make things right again. Only one dog could do that but that same dog just stood there awestruck like it couldn't believe what was happening or just didn't believe it.

Finally Sherman broke, screaming as loud as he could. "MR. PEABODY, DO SOMETHING!"

The genius dog snapped to attention then, eyes widening immensely as everything started to register. Mr. Peabody reached out to his human son. "Sherman…!" He stammered and it was all he could say while taking steps forward and reaching out his paws. "Sherman!" Oh what to do? Everything was just happening so fast and he didn't know what to do! He couldn't THINK under these circumstances! He just…he just needed some time to think of a solution…

"MR. PEABODY!"

Mr. Peabody bit his lip. Time was something he didn't have. What a funny pun considering he owned a time machine where in it he had all the time in the universe in his paws! He supposed Leonardo da Vinci was right. Children were nothing like machines. They weren't consistent at all, not at all. Besides neither man nor dog would ever go to such lengths for machine since machine was replaceable. A child simply was not. The woman was really taking his son and he couldn't do anything besides file another battle for custody from the courts! There was absolutely nothing he could-

"A dog can never be a suitable parent to a boy! If I have my way and I know I will, you will never see this boy again!" Mrs. Grunion proclaimed.

"Sherman!" Mr. Peabody called again desperately. There had to be a reasonable solution to all of these nonsensical things! One well thought out and sure to be effective! Some sensible way!

"You're HURTING ME!" Sherman cried.

The dog felt all sense draining from his mind. He felt so different, almost inexplicably….violent.

"MR. PEABODY!"

It was growing, that feeling, that animalistic need to just…

"MR. PEABODY, SHE'S HURTING ME!"

…_Bite_. Mr. Peabody concluded his thoughts, but no that did not make sense. He was better than that. He was not some barbaric, uncivilized-

Mr. Peabody winced at Sherman's shout of pain again. A growl formed in his throat and he voiced it almost inaudibly. No that did not make sense at all. He was not a- Well he was but he certainly was not that kind of-

"A dog a parent! It was utter nonsense from the very start!" Mrs. Grunion exclaimed.

He _was_ a dog.

"MR. PEABODY, DO SOMETHING!" Sherman yelled.

And Mr. Peabody did. He jumped forward with much force. For years they mocked him, ridiculed him for being a canine and for years he accepted their negativity as natural human behavior while they themselves reprimanded him for natural dog behavior he's never expressed. So he sunk his teeth deep into the children service's woman's arm, showing once and for all that bite was indeed bigger than bark.

But when it was all over and he retracted from the human flesh, Mr. Peabody didn't know who was more shocked, Mrs. Grunion, Sherman, or himself. Now he had definitely lost Sherman forever. Maybe he was never meant to be a father. Maybe they were all right and he was forever doomed to be a senseless mutt no matter how much intellect he possessed. Children weren't machines and neither was he. Everyone had a breaking point and he realized he too held one. So as he stepped back in horror of himself he looked into the wide eyes of Sherman, hoping he was getting his messages of apologies across that he could not save the boy from the inevitable fate this time.

Of course that was ridiculous of him for doing so. He hadn't yet invented telepathy.


End file.
